Ross and Louis – Experiences and discoveries

Ross and Louis share more of their story, this time focusing on what they have discovered, learnt and achieved through their experiences so far.

Louis

“As an intern at Lloyds Banking Group, I attended our Personal Development Programme for disabled colleagues. This really taught me about how to manage my impairment better in the workplace. My lasting memory is being on the train home and feeling simply on top of the world.

“My single biggest achievement has been realising how much I am able to achieve on my own.

I have become so independent and I’m in total amazement that I go all over the country, just my guide dog and I. This was something that scared me so much when I first joined and would never have been imagined at school. Anything is possible and you can be your own biggest barrier.

“I now have a role in the Group, working for the Disability Programme and making a difference for disabled colleagues and customers. I have learnt so much more about different impairment types and what is involved behind the scenes to support disabled colleagues and customers. I think the biggest take away is that you do not need to know everything, it is knowing people who know that is the secret to success and having the confidence to admit when you don’t know”.

Ross

Through the roles I’ve had, and through mentoring, I’ve learned that I’m good with people and good at communication. Relationships and respect are important in an organisation. It surprised me how small Lloyds Banking Group feels. Never upset someone – one day you will work with them again!

I once went to one assessment centre and got marked down for a task I was physically unable to do. They said I wasn’t proactive in joining in. Maybe if I’d have asked questions about what the tasks were beforehand and communicated my needs it would have worked out differently. I’ve learnt that if you don’t tell people, they won’t understand. You need to say “this is my disability, this is how it impacts me and this is what I need to do to be effective”.

At Lloyds Banking Group inclusion and diversity is central to building the best teams. Attracting a diverse range of talent is crucial to this and Evenbreak ensures that our vacancies are seen by disabled candidates with the skills we need